Siddharth
I couldn't understand why my life was turning out to become a movie script. Every time I wanted to go back to being a normal man, I was caught up in unexpected situations.
"Siddharth… sir. Am I right? I didn't know you both were friends." He was blankly staring at Anvish who seemed like he was in total detective mode. I wondered if any lie would work out in this situation. I tried thinking like Payal. What would she do?
"Siddharth sir? What are you saying, brother? His name is Abhiraj. The guy next to him is Siddharth." Our event host announced. And my palm slammed over my face unconsciously. "Brother, you must be drunk without drinking." He was clutching his stomach while laughing at our faces.
Regardless of how many ways I tried to work out my brain, I could only visualize him, taking a microphone and announcing our lies on a 4k screen. We were caught and there was no way out.
"You know… we were just batchmates…and—" Abhiraj was sobered up by then. I stopped him.
I had to tell him the truth and get him on our side at least. That's the only way. If that doesn't work out, our plan ends here.
"I want to say something," I said, taking a deep breath.
"Okay, Give me excuses if you can," he said, as he left the dining room to go to his balcony area, gesturing to me to follow him.
At least, he didn't make me say it in front of everyone. Abhiraj tried to stop me but I pushed his hand away. "I should tell him. I should tell someone," I whispered and walked away.
★★★
Payal
Shruti did the best thing she could do.
"Oh my girl, you literally delivered the best news ever!" I plopped down on my bed, cheering up at the news of the cancellation of our college reunion.
"Are you that happy?"
"Of course. I didn't want to join them. I am sure they would bring up marriage and tell me, 'Get a husband already like me', " I said, imitating the tone of the 'popular' girl of our college. I would rather prefer to call her 'dramatic kid'.
"I just couldn't stop laughing at her during all those years. How can a grown adult talk like that? Is she kidding me?"
"Nandini has always been like that for the longest time we knew her." She was laughing at the other end. We were like some gossip friends and we absolutely loved it. She paused to say, "Hey, I heard about your two-husband incident. Abhiraj told me. Just fill me in already," Shruti cried out but the voice didn't come as natural.
"Ah, It was a mess…" I proceeded on with the story and continued, "I survived that because of both of the guys. I almost gagged."
"Wow, you always manage yourself in trouble, huh?" She laughed off but her voice was a little lower than earlier.
I felt I knew what she was thinking so I proceeded to clarify it. "Shruti, you don't feel uncomfortable that he is pretending to be my husband, right? I mean it's nothing at all."
"Ah.. No… I really didn't. What do you take me for?" She laughed awkwardly.
I couldn't help but imagine her getting in a defensive mode, blocking all of my words. I could see that even if she didn't show, she might be upset with him and I will be the sole reason for that. I couldn't let that happen.
"After the act, he was calling you his wife and did you know that he wants to marry you and rent an apartment in my recent building? He just loves you too much. Don't be upset with him, okay?"
"He did that in front of you all… Gosh, he is so cheesy." Her voice went into a cute mode as if she hated that when she was totally loving it. I could feel it. "Payal, I admit I was a little upset but I trust him. He honestly told me that he played a husband, so I am not mad at him. I know how much he cares about me." Her voice went shy and I could hear her breathing.
"What the hell! Am I in the middle of a teen love story?" I teased her like always. "Anyway, you both are so cute. Cherish each other and please talk and don't misunderstand or else I will beat you both up."
"You are crazy."
"I agree." We laughed out again like crazy people.
"But I will just say that when you find someone you love, you can probably trust them with yourself. In our entire seven years of dating, through every up and down, I felt that I could rely on him."
Earlier, I would have just told her to shut up but now that I was listening, I felt a twitch in my heart as if it was calling out for someone. I felt her words on a deeper level and all I could see was one man's face flashing in front of me. Siddharth.
I could trust him and even now, I feel like he is my safe place. But the past month was such a rollercoaster that I feel like I had no idea about him earlier. All I knew about him during college was a gaze from outside but now, this whole fake marriage thing is getting so much more than just a little act. Almost like I invaded too much.
Should I feel that way or was I just having another overthinking session? I will never know.
"Payal, you there?" I was broken out of my trance and replied in a daze.
"Yeah. I should probably go to bed early."
"Do you like Siddharth?" The question was so sudden that it almost made me pop my eyeballs out.
Stunned and unable to speak, I stuttered, "What do you mean?"
"Don't be like that. Do you not feel anything about him? I thought you liked him. Just ask that dense guy out for a date?"
I couldn't help but chuckle at her 'dense guy' nickname. "No way. I shouldn't like him."
"That clears it. You didn't tell me you don't love him so… you do." I could hear her clear excited voice.
I smile, suddenly longing for him. "I guess. I love him. Right." My smile only got wider as my confession lingered in my mind for too long.
★★★
Siddharth
"Oh, so you both are not married and you like her?" Anvish was confused as I narrated my story of this month. I myself feel like I have to build a chart to remember my fake relations. At this rate, I might end up forgetting my name.
I nodded and said, "That's how it is."
"So you're telling me…" He looks at Abhiraj and says, "he is not Siddharth and you are Siddharth." He points at me and looks me up and down only to clap his hands together in realization.
"That's why it felt a little odd. Your brother told me about you and he definitely said you like to take less responsibility but Abhiraj didn't match the description exactly. I thought he was exaggerating but maybe not." I gave a side look to Abhiraj who found this too funny for some reason.
"Why are you laughing? You are no better just because you were helping your friend. You literally lied and got the job. That means you were impersonating, do you understand?" He bowed his head low, shutting up his mouth.
"I am sorry. I was desperate."
Anvish sighed and looked out of the balcony. "Looks like I got in the middle of something." He turned around and asked, "That girl… Payal is her real name or…?"
I interrupted, "Yes, it's her real name. She needs this job, that's why we pretended. If you tell me, then we will stop here. We should have stopped before." I hung my head low. Love can make people so blind. I thought we could get away but of course, this had to happen at some point.
"You don't have to stop. I will pretend I didn't hear it." Anvish walked ahead, passing by us until I called him. I was shocked by his reaction. I thought he would tell me to report to the office and spew out the truth but here we were.
He stopped to look at us. "Siddharth, you were brave to do that. You know Boss can be scary when things like this are in question. I believe no one else knows it, right?"
I nodded. "Good luck with that." He left us on the balcony before striding out. The question that lingered with me was 'Why?'
~•~
Smart peeps, do you know the reason why Anvish is telling them to continue whatever they were doing? He has his reasons...
Payal has realized her love for Siddharth. Finally!!
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